Brooking will make sure Cowboys are fired up Sunday

Minutes before the start of Sunday’s showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking will step into the center of a circle of his teammates and do everything he can to whip them into a frenzy.

Wide receiver Sam Hurd plans to be front and center just like he has for all the other times Brooking has delivered his fiery pregame rant.

“I love it when he says, ‘We’re gonna kick ‘em in the face and we’re gonna stomp on ‘em.’ That’s the best thing ever,” Hurd said. “When we he first did that, we were like, ‘Oh, yeah. This is some crazy stuff we never heard.’

“I love it. Kick ‘em in the face, and when they’re bleedin,’ let’s stomp on ‘em.”

Baltimore’s Ray Lewis started the NFL tradition of having a player deliver an inspirational sermon before the game. New Orleans’ Drew Brees is also famed for the militar-style chant he directs his teammates in before kickoff. But nobody is more sincere than Brooking, who brings a pro wrestling sensability to his delivery.

“I prefer him doing it because you can tell he’s passionate about it, serious about,” Hurd said. “You can tell he’s saying what he really feels and he’s not just doing it to do it. If it was just something he had to do, a lot of us would take it as a joke because we are grown men. But when you look into his eyes, you can tell it’s something he really feels.”

Off the field, Brooking is mild-mannered Southern gentleman. But when he puts his helmet under, he undergoes a frightening transformation. He was asked how he’s capable of making such a change.

“My wife asked the same question,” Brooking said. “She said, ‘Who is that guy? I don’t know that guy.’ ”

Brooking began leading the “breakdown” at the request of fellow Georgia Tech alum Tashard Choice.

“It’s a chance to let everyone know that, hey, we’re ready to roll, we’ve got each other’sback, we’re together, no one can break our bond, let’s go fight a battle and win it,” Brooking said. “It’s just a special moment.”